The Broken Clock
by Skeasel
Summary: She was racing against time to stop Saren, but time was never a friend to her.  Follows ME1 prior to the attack on the Citadel with a mix of in-game and inbetween moments.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all, except this Shepard is mine.

First ever Fanfic. Please R/R.

The Broken Clock

It was a beautiful planet, too beautiful for the ugliness that had occurred on its stormy beachside. Years had passed since Shepard had experienced a proper rainstorm, reminiscent of the showers she enjoyed that seemed to cleanse the gutters on Earth. She would stand in the downpour, soaked to the bone while her companions would snicker and tease her. The fresh scent of a thunderstorm permeated the air, rather than the usual industrial waste. Billowing clouds of multiple hues hung above her. No one appreciated a yellow sky anymore.

A jolt rocked the Normandy as Shepard was moved from her reverie. Joker was working furiously, swearing under his breath as the Normandy sped away from the blast that had devoured Saren's research facility. Shepard steeled her resolve once more when Joker declared them clear, and headed aft toward her cabin to strip bare and cleanse herself of the grime that covered her.

The commander neatly placed her gear in her locker, passing by the console that Lt. Alenko always seemed to try to fix. It still had yet to function properly. He was not there, most likely still below, stowing his gear and double checking the damage to the Mako with Garrus. A wave of relief washed through Shepard. She was not ready to face him, not yet. Not until she had actually figured out what the repercussions of her decision would be. She groaned inwardly and continued toward her cabin.

With the scent of Alliance issued soap on her skin, Shepard stared blankly at the console screen in front of her. Her report to the council was already written, but she lacked the ability to send it, continuously re-reading it and picking it apart for any mistake. The loss of Williams was only one part of the report that bothered her. She had decided to wipe out the potential cure for the genophage along with all the Krogan in the breeding grounds. The council was going to love that. And then there was Sovereign, the ancient machine-organic hybrid intent on wiping out organic life. Shepard shook her head at the notion and wondered if she was going slightly crazy as the council claimed. The Reapers seemed a ludricous idea, but every fiber of her being vibrated with warning from the first vision on Eden Prime. She knew what she had to do, and held out hope that the council would agree. Shepard stabbed the button and sent the Virmire report.

The commander sat at her desk once again after the debriefing, mulling over Alliance troop and carrier movements. She had warned the council and they had actually agreed to increase security around the Citadel based on the Virmire report. Despite the fragile relationship she had with them, she was pleasantly surprised at the outcome. _Apparently this broken clock is right more than two times a day_, she thought smugly. Shepard stretched briefly and looked at her watch, surprised by how late it was. Coffee, or the Alliance's poor imitation of it, seemed like a good solution and she headed to the mess bringing a data pad with her for company.

As was her habit, Shepard glanced to her left as she exited her cabin. Alenko was at his usual post, still trying to improve performance on that damnable console. Shepard set her data pad down and approached him.

"I just wanted to see how you're dealing with Ash's death." The statement sounded completely inane to her ears, but Kaiden turned his attention to her, a smudge of dirt on his cheek. His answer was lost to her as their conversation was but background noise to the chaos in her head. Why did she really make the decision that she did? Yes, the nuke needed to be set, and yes, the facility needed to be destroyed, but why exactly did she choose Kaiden?

Her attention was drawn back to the moment at hand as the lieutenant waited expectantly for an answer to his question. "You deal and move on. Mourn them on your own time." Her voice was sharp, she hadn't meant to sound so callous, but it was an easy enough mistake given the predicament the crew of the Normandy was in. Alenko nodded and expressed his understanding, turning back to the console as if it demanded his utmost attention. Shepard gripped the fabric of her uniform in order to keep from pursuing the conversation further. Instead, she grabbed her data pad and marched to the mess.

The warm cup of coffee was a comfort as Shepard attempted to scan the data pad. Her mind wandered down a myriad of paths, all ending in one truth: _you know the real reason you chose Alenko_. Shepard denied her inner voice, justifying her choice that he was the more experienced officer, that she needed to make sure the nuke was properly deployed and set, that the Geth didn't disarm it and blow all their plans to hell, that he was closer and easier to reach, that fewer lives were lost by saving him and not her, that the Alliance had invested more time and money in him. Shepard sighed heavily and set down the data pad, finally giving up the pretense of attention.

_You love him_.

"You son of a bitch! Nobody stabs me in the back, Udina! Nobody." Shepard stalked purposely through the halls of the Citadel, having been unceremoniously dismissed from the council meeting. She headed straight for her cabin on the Normandy and pulled up information on every contact she could think of, including a reporter she had once helped out. Nobody, not even her most powerful contacts, could assist her now. Official channels were closed. She was grounded, and Captain Anderson was nowhere to be found. Shepard fumed with frustration and headed to her locker to pack her gear.

It was there, at her locker, when her resolve cracked. For months, she had been on edge, one goal in mind, and now right when she was so close, the Normandy was grounded. Shepard was stuck in the one place she didn't want to be, especially since the council had a huge hole in their defense plans the size of the Mu relay. She let her body slide down to the floor in frustration.

A pair of combat boots approached her, and Shepard only needed one guess to know it was Alenko. He stopped far enough away from her to be respectful, but closer than most subordinate officers would. "Don't tell me you're giving up now?" His voice was velvety smooth and contained a hint of sarcasm.

Shepard met his gaze and briefly contemplated an answer. She was unsure that she wanted to pursue this discussion because she didn't have a full plan in place. "Official channels are closed." She hated the sound of her own voice at that moment. She might have as well screamed _I'm helpless!_

Kaiden shook his head gently. "So you're just going to give up? That's not like you, Shepard."

He was goading her, she knew it, and it sparked a fire in her belly that was due more to other causes. "We may have lost the battle, but I intend to win the war."

"You have something in mind?" he said, en eyebrow raised. "Wait, of course you do. When don't you?"

Shepard smiled at him conspiratorially. A strong hand reached down to her and Shepard looked up into chocolate brown eyes. Kaiden had his usual stoic mask plastered on his face and only showed a hint of hesitation as he reached out. Shepard felt her moment of weakness pass into something more akin to embarrassment, or anticipation. Of course Kaiden would interrupt her pity party and force her to cowboy up. It had become something of an unspoken agreement between them.

He pulled her up faster than she expected and lost her footing throwing them both slightly off balance. Shepard felt the heat of his body as he inadvertently pulled her close to regain his own balance. The spark in her belly from earlier blazed and suffused her body in delicious warmth. She pulled Kaiden closer and leaned in ever so slightly without realizing what her body was actually doing. He smelled of earthen musk and fresh air after a thunderstorm, and she could taste his breath on her lips.

"Call coming in for you commander." Joker's voice cut through the silence on deck and Shepard and Kaiden parted surprisingly fast, leaving her briefly breathless.

"What is it Joker?" Her voice was calm despite the pounding in her chest, her body bereft of his warmth. She glanced in his direction and Kaiden rubbed his neck awkwardly, looking almost sheepish.

"It's Captain Anderson. He wants you to meet him in that club, Flux."

Shepard nodded, even though Joker was oblivious to the movement. "Tell him I'll meet him there shortly." She heard the comm go silent and looked to Kaiden. "Go get suited up. We're going to the club."


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 2

In any other circumstance, Shepard would have felt awkward walking into a club with her arms and armor, but not on the Citadel. Given her history with former gang members and assassins, she felt more comfortable in her battle dress. Kaiden and Wrex accompanied her, which she enjoyed, because all species tended to give the Krogan a wide berth.

The noise of the music and gambling grated on her already frayed nerves, but Shepard shook it off and made a bee-line for Captain Anderson. He was sitting casually at a table, ordering a drink from a hovering waitress as she approached. He eyed her with a conspiratorial look in his eye and gestured for her to sit. Shepard complied and joined her long time mentor and friend.

"You could have warned me," she stated without any of the intended venom.

"I tried, but with Udina in the way I wasn't able to contact you until the Normandy had already docked." The waitress delivered his drink and he gently shooed her away and out of earshot.

Shepard looked at the captain, now grounded as she was and stuck behind a desk. The past few months had done nothing to diminish his muscled body and stern countenance. "I'm guessing you didn't invite me here for a celebration? What's your angle?"

Anderson nodded slightly in recognition of her sense of urgency. "The council thinks this is over, but we both know it's not. You need to get to Ilos and stop Saren from finding the Conduit. Citadel Control has the ability unlock the Normandy's systems, although they're not going to do it voluntarily. I can sneak into the control tower and override the system." He sipped his drink as if he was casually discussing the statistics of the local sports team.

"That's a high security section of C-sec with guards on regular patrol," Wrex stated, as he hovered nearby.

"There's got to be a better option." While Shepard appreciated Anderson's eagerness to assist her in this mission, she didn't want him to be left holding the bag while she escaped. Breaking into C-sec and overriding their systems was a capital offense.

"There is another option. The order to ground the Normandy came from Ambassador Udina. I can get into his office and hack into his computer. Same result, fewer guards."

The commander nodded in agreement. "Keep it in the family, so to speak. Better not to mess with C-sec and piss the aliens off more than we already have."

"I was hoping you'd say that." He took another swig of his drink. "Udina has made this personal."

Shepard stood and looked down and her former commander. She signaled her team to be ready to move. "Are you sure you want to do this? You're the one who's going to be left when all the shit hits the fan."

Anderson nodded again, and finished the rest of his drink. "We both know that this is necessary. You just be ready when Normandy's systems come back online."

Shepard and her team walked with purpose through the halls of the Citadel. Most of the C-sec officers had heard of the Normandy's grounding and stayed out of Shepard's path. She was bothered very little by unwanted attention on her return trip.

"You _do_ know that Captain Anderson could be charged with treason for unlocking the Normandy?" Kaiden kept up with Shepard's brisk pace while Wrex walked drag.

"He knows what he's doing," Shepard said, her eyes forward. "It was his idea."

"Yeah, I know, but –"

Shepard stopped and gave Kaiden a look that had made Batarian slavers cringe. Wrex wandered slightly farther away from them, pretending to be mesmerized by the view of the wards. "He knows the possible consequences."

"Complete the mission at all costs, Shepard?" Kaiden faced the commander, uncomfortable, but undaunted by her gaze.

She held his eyes a moment longer. "Yes."


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 3

Shepard waited impatiently by Joker's chair, eyeing the red light that informed them of the continued lockdown. She could see Joker itching to punch the pilot's console and set the Normandy to motion. She found his anticipation endearing although she would never admit it aloud.

At her left, Joker jumped slightly and moved quicker than she thought possible as soon as the green light came up. Shepard could hear the sigh of machinery as the docking clamps lifted and the Normandy gracefully escaped the clutches of the Citadel's bay. They were on lock down no longer, except now, they were probably fugitives from the law, traitors to the Alliance, and probably deemed pirates. Shepard pursed her lips and inwardly admonished herself. She had a job to do.

The coordinates were set, the crew was at their stations, and everything seemed to be running smoothly. Navigator Pressly handed Shepard the last update from C-sec that they had received before breaking out. Shepard nodded to him in dismissal as she stood at the head of the galaxy map, unconsciously chewing her lip as she contemplated the repercussions of her latest decision.

_Stop second guessing yourself. This is what needs to be done_.

The commander checked the navigation coordinates, had Joker update her on the time to the Mu Relay, and headed below deck to double check the equipment of her ground team. Everything seemed to be in order by the time she returned to her cabin. Of course, she had already known this, but it never hurt to be sure. The crew even seemed excited about their recent escape and she had heard no dissonance in the deck chatter as she stalked through the halls. However, no one was going to nay say the orders of the Butcher of Torfan. It was something that simply didn't happen.

Shepard attempted to focus on the data pad in front of her, but her mind seemed to wander. She imagined the surprise on Udina's face as Anderson barged into his office and socked him a good one. She rubbed her cheek thoughtfully in reminiscence as she herself had received that same right hook during one of their sparring sessions. Shepard decided that she was going to have to make it up to Anderson when she made it back from Ilos. _If_ she made it back from Ilos.

_Damn suicide missions_, she thought ruefully.

The soft whine of her cabin door drew her attention and Lt. Alenko strode in. He seemed to tense with a nervous energy she rarely saw in him, and wondered at the static that seemed to fill the air. It was a wonder his biotics weren't flaring up. She stood from her chair and went to greet him.

"Commander?" Was she imagining things, or did his voice catch ever so slightly?

"For now. The Alliance has to catch me and court martial me before they can call me anything else. What is it, Kaiden?" She set down the data pad she realized she was still clinging to and directed her attention back to him. He had moved much closer to her. Shepard felt her back tighten and attempted to maintain an indifferent façade in order to keep her impulses in check.

"It's just that what if this doesn't work out, Shepard? We've mutinied, stole a prototype warship, and well – "his voice drifted off as he rubbed the back of his neck nervously.

"Kaiden, you didn't come here to question my decisions. What do you really want?" Shepard found herself afraid of his answer and the potential for disaster that might follow.

"I just wanted to let you know that you were right, about everything, and that I've enjoyed serving under you."

Alenko looked almost as if he was ready to turn and leave, and Shepard found that the thought of him leaving her cabin was more frightening than the thought of him staying. Shepard threw caution to the wind and took advantage of the situation as it was not likely to ever happen again. "Kaiden, I don't believe I've ever had the pleasure of you serving under me." She was almost shocked at the sultriness in her voice and saw heat reflected in his eyes.

"Ouch. I walked into that one." His attempt to dispel the tension was admirable, but to no avail. The air almost seemed to crackle between them as they both knew at this point why he had come. "We could get drummed out of the service for fraternization."

Shepard half smiled. "That's if they don't shoot us for mutiny first." She reached for his face, running her fingers through his dark hair. It was softer than she thought it would be.

"This can't change anything, Shepard. This is a good crew and I don't want to ruin anything."

The warmth in her belly returned and Shepard pressed herself to his body, her lips to his, pulling him as close to her as humanly possible. She seemed to drown in his kisses as the tension between them turned into something resembling an electrical charge. His biotics flared briefly as they struggled toward the bed, legs and lips tangled, each lost in the other. The last thing Shepard recalled was that he smelled of earth and rain before she let herself be devoured by oblivion.


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 4

"What the hell!" The force of the impact knocked Shepard back against the opposite wall. She punched the familiar pattern into her omni-tool and felt the warmth of medigel seep into her veins. The burning had subsided, but she was going to have a painful bruise. She heard Kaiden yell something intelligible as he raced to her side and saw Wrex taking cover behind a huge chunk of debris. Shepard motioned to Kaiden and saw him take position as she returned to hers. The landing above the Geth had not been easy to get to, but she was sure as hell going to make it work to her advantage.

The familiar cadence of Wrex's continuous shotgun blasts reassured her and she fell once more into the rhythm of battle. Hurriedly, she set up her scope and took aim at the Geth Prime that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere. Its shields had been overloaded and she was bound and determined to get even. "I'll show you what happens when you shoot glowing blobs at me," she muttered under her breath.

The kick of the rifle slammed against her shoulder and she quickly loaded another round. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kaiden take out a Geth attempting to flank their position. Another crumpled under a shotgun blast from Wrex. That only left the Prime, its attention focused on Wrex, and it was all hers.

Shepard sighted through her scope and fingered the trigger almost lovingly. Delicately, she dialed down the focus and took aim. The Prime was in her cross-hairs and she felt the familiar pressure of the rifle as she fired. The Prime shook violently, and then fell into a mess of fried wires and hardware. Wrex looked up at Shepard in her perch and nodded slightly. The three gathered underneath the landing and took stock of their wounds. Nobody had been seriously injured as of yet. Shepard didn't expect that to be a problem, at least not this early in the mission.

Wrex rolled his head and popped his neck. "You let that thing get any closer, Shepard, and I could've kissed it."

"Nah, Wrex. You know you're too ugly to kiss," she retorted while tossing Kaiden another ammo clip. "And besides, I don't think it's your type."

Wrex grunted in response and reloaded his shotgun. "Let's move. There're more of these things that need killing."

O o O o O o O

The Mako had a peculiar scent to it, something akin to engine oil mixed with sweat. Shepard doubted that the muck they were driving through now would improve upon that smell in the least. Of course, it was all made better as she slammed on the gas and crushed the Geth Hunter in front of her. Very little slowed her down when she was at the wheel, that is, very little but a Colossus.

All three passengers were thrown against their restraints as Shepard slammed on the brakes avoiding a near collision with the large piece of armament. She heard Kaiden swear under his breath as she quickly threw the Mako in reverse, narrowly avoiding a siege pulse. As it turned out, the race through the sewers wasn't going to be as easy as she hoped.

"Damn it all!" Shepard violently shifted gears again and the transmission whined pitifully in response. She glanced at the motion sensor and saw more Geth closing in from behind. The only way was forward.

"The path behind us is blocked!" Wrex noted as he righted himself in his seat.

"Your grasp of the obvious is inspiring," she said through clenched teeth.

Kaiden adjusted his restraints and eyed the sensor as well. He looked over at Shepard and could feel her irritation. She met his gaze and a wild smile spread across her face. Quickly she threw the Mako into gear and jammed her foot on the gas. The massive vehicle lurched violently into the air as Shepard activated the propulsion jets, narrowly avoiding the Colossus' pulse.

"Get on the main gun!" Shepard ordered as she jerked her arm again, putting the Mako into a higher gear. The hum of the engine increased as they picked up speed. Kaiden found himself hoping that Garrus was as good of a mechanic as he claimed to be.

Again the Mako lurched as the propulsion jets flared, and then shuddered violently as a pulse clipped them. Kaiden scanned the control panel as Wrex continued to fire at the surrounding Geth. Their kinetic barriers had been knocked down to twenty percent and there was some damage to the right forward wheel. Apparently, that pulse had done more than just clip them.

Shepard continued to jam her foot into the accelerator even though the Mako could go no faster. She felt her muscles strain and her jaw ache as she gritted her teeth. _Just a bit farther_, she thought. The commander punched the propulsion button yet again, sending them airborne. Propelled forward by the force of its momentum, the Mako landed unceremoniously on the Colossus, disabling its main gun in the process. Shepard struggled to control the direction of the Mako upon landing, straining against her restraints as she did so. It was a highly unorthodox maneuver, but luckily it had worked, for the most part.

They raced quickly through the tunnels when Kaiden swore under his breath again. "Multiple Geth Armaments up ahead blocking our route to the Conduit."

Shepard glanced at the motion sensor again and noticed it had been jammed. "How can you tell?"

"Visual scanning, ma'am."

Shepard grumbled slightly, but otherwise ignored the jibe. Well, if there was Geth in her way, then she would plow through them. Again.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: Bioware owns all.

Chapter 5

Commander Shepard kicked the dissolving ashes of Saren's body with a booted foot. At least this time he would stay dead, although it was too bad she couldn't throw his remains at the council in answer to their much sought after "proof." Shepard shook her head in disgust. They were going to get her killed one of these days.

Kaiden gently touched her arm to gain her attention. "We should go and try to contact Joker. I think communications console on the mainframe might still be working." Shepard nodded in agreement and followed him up the stairs to the Citadel main controls. It was then, as she was getting ready to radio Joker that the floor of the tower shook. Shepard raised her eyes to the window in front of her as a discordant humming filled the room. Painfully bright light flooded the tower as Sovereign exploded, but Shepard's brief excitement was obliterated as she saw the path of its remains.

"Go!" she ordered as Sovereign's debris careened toward them. Wrex and Kaiden were quick to obey and dashed down the stairs toward cover. Shepard trailed behind and realized that she was not going to make it. Out of desperation she veered to her right, slid to the ground, and flattened herself against the wall. The window shattered just as she reached cover, sending sharp shards in all directions. The floor shuddered with the force of the impact, and Shepard covered her head to protect her ears from the sound of destruction. She felt, more than heard the enormous piece of debris scrape ever closer to her location and was sure she was going to be crushed under the enormity of its mass.

_Well, this is one way to get leave_, she thought sourly.

The floor beneath her shifted and a blinding pressure shot through her body. She recognized immediately that her arm had been broken, and maybe even a few ribs. Shepard sucked in the pain and attempted to adjust her position in order to reach her omni-tool. Pain, sharp and hot, seared through her body again. A damp stickiness warmed her left side as Shepard attempted to move once more.

An enormous metal slab landed just behind her head, sending shockwaves through her body and the pain in her arm rose anew. It continued to slide along the floor from the force of Sovereign's demise, tilting slightly on its side, and then falling over completely. The floor shifted once more, shook violently, and the world went black. The commander swore as she realized she was now trapped.

O o O o O o O

The C-sec comms buzzed as the tower team searched the wreckage. Captain Anderson had joined them as soon as his ship had docked. Shepard had been in the tower and still was here, somewhere. He'd be damned if she wasn't found. There were signs of her passage, of her battle with the Geth throughout the tower. He was still able to recognize the damage her hand cannon could cause and smiled inwardly.

"Here. Over here!" A member of the C-sec search team waved his arms frantically at the other members. Anderson hurried over to his position, a million thoughts racing through his mind, each more unthinkable then the previous. The grinding of metal on metal reverberated through the tower as the search team moved the piece of debris blocking their path to Kaiden and Wrex. Anderson poked his head into the newly made hole as a team member scanned the wreckage for additional signs of life.

The lieutenant and Krogan looked only slightly worse for wear, considering that they had a ship practically dropped on them. Kaiden crawled out of the wreckage first, and pulled Wrex out from behind him. The Krogan shuffled briefly, regaining his balance and shrugging off the other's assistance. Search party members swarmed the sight and the two men were lit up by the eerie glow of the omni-tool as they were assessed for injury.

Anderson looked to Kaiden. "Shepard?" The man's face visibly paled as he looked toward the audience chamber. Anderson followed his gaze after noticing the despondent look in his eye. An enormous chunk of Sovereign's debris had landed on the Petitioner's Stage and destroyed most of the audience chamber. Anderson felt the growing knot in his throat sink to his stomach. If Shepard had not escaped further into the tower, it was very likely that she had been crushed beneath the sheer mass of metal. Anderson shook his head in dismay.

As he started to turn back to Alenko, he heard a slight shifting of metal behind him. Anderson turned his attention back to the audience chamber and saw a slight movement in the debris field beside the chamber. Another small movement, and then a loud crash filled the air as C-sec officers swarmed toward the noise. _She is alive_, Anderson thought. _She is alive and probably mad as hell_.

Kaiden and Wrex followed Anderson and the rest of the search party into the audience chamber. They didn't need to move far, however, as Shepard suddenly appeared, tromping down the stairs with as much energy as she could muster. She held her left arm close to her side and favored her right leg. She awkwardly climbed over another large piece of debris and looked over at her ground team smiling ridiculously.

Anderson motioned for the officers to provide her with aid, which she grudgingly accepted. "Stubborn woman," Anderson's voice was gruff, yet adoring. "Thought you were dead."

Shepard met Kaiden's relieved gaze and the pain dissipated from her body momentarily. "You know it'll take more than that to kill me."

O o O o O o O

There had been questions, of course. She had expected that much, but Shepard was unprepared for the favor of the council. That was as much of a surprise to her as it was to Udina. She smiled to herself, remembering the shocked look on his face when they thanked her, and then again when she nominated Captain Anderson for the council seat. She was sure her recommendation didn't carry much weight and that some blowhard would end up with the position. After all, this broken clock had been right two times already.

Kaiden looked over at her curiously, wondering at the small smile she wore. Shepard had been silent during their brief respite between debriefings, and they now gazed over the wreckage on the Presidium. She felt his eyes on her and turned to meet his gaze, gratefully taking in the stoic comfort his companionship brought her. They had tried to keep their burgeoning relationship from prying eyes and regulation-happy officers, but there were a few individuals who knew of, or at least suspected of their involvement. Of course, the scuttlebutt ran rampant on the Normandy, but Shepard trusted her crew to maintain their professionalism. Right now, however, the regs on fraternization were the last thing on her mind. She intended to enjoy this small bit of peace she had found amidst the storm, and she was going to take advantage of whatever time offered them.


End file.
